Arts and Entertainment

“Big Bambú” exhibition celebrates the beauty and dynamics of natural design

In their installation for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, “Mike + Doug Starn: Big Bambú,” the Starn brothers use 3,000 bamboo poles tied together with rope to depict a dynamic sea, described by the MFAH as “an emblem of great age, continually new and changing.” The size and complexity of the piece is certainly astounding, as bamboo stalks rise in a wave 30 feet above Cullinan Hall, a large single-room gallery space at the center of the museum, and crash into the Upper Brown Pavillion.

Houston, we have a Kapoor bean

The Museum of Fine Arts expansion includes the first public appearance of Cloud Column, a metallic sculpture by Anish Kapoor.

Despite location shift, the KTRU show must go on

​“A Quiet Place” innovates the horror genre with sound and silence

A post-apocalyptic family drama starring Krasinski and his wife, actress Emily Blunt, “A Quiet Place” uses silence to craft a tense tale of the sacrificial and protective instincts that come with parenthood.

​The Strangest-Ever Item on A Graduation Bucket List: Milk Bones

So you’ve lost a bet and now have to eat an entire box of Milk-Bones before you graduate. 

Melvv’s first EP is EDM, but there's nothing wrong with that

Now on his debut EP, Melvv first came to my attention two years ago through his remix of Alison Wonderland’s “Back It Up.” It perfectly captured the loud, punchy future bass sound that I crave so much.

27th KTRU outdoor show aims to spotlight student and local art, music

The normally empty Central Quad will come alive during KTRU’s 27th annual Outdoor Show by local and student music performances, interactive art projections and food trucks. In line with the radio station’s eclectic streak, the outdoor show will feature a diverse music lineup ranging from indie electronic Kay Weathers to disco pop CAPYAC to rapper Kodie Shane. 

​XXXTentacion disappoints with new album “?”

The album is reminiscent of a botched art project with buzzwords scribbled across it at the last minute — it’s like he’s trying to mislead the audience into believing they’re missing a deeper meaning.

​“Chappaquiddick” shows what happens when the powerful get away with murder

Jason Clarke uses his criminally underrated acting chops to emphasize Ted Kennedy’s deeply flawed personality whilst ensuring the viewer somewhat understands the senator’s inner struggles.

​Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One’ creates a magnetically immersive dystopia

An engrossing throwback to the adventurous way Spielberg made movies back in his heyday, “Ready Player One” is a virtual universe you won’t mind losing yourself in.

‘Isle of Dogs’ is beautifully crafted, despite over-the-top writing

Anderson returns to animation with “Isle of Dogs,” another wonderful showcase of his seemingly limitless imagination.

​Electronic artist Kasbo has a mixed debut on ‘Places We Don’t Know’

If he keeps tapping into his Swedish roots and letting artists like Petit Biscuit and ODESZA guide his sound, then he may earn a place among other “chillwave” greats.

In Bloom could grow into the festival Houston deserves

This weekend, the inaugural In Bloom Music Festival kicked off in Eleanor Tinsley Park with headliners such as Beck, Incubus and Martin Garrix. The festival featured four stages spread out in Eleanor Tinsley Park, with highways overhead, the skyline in clear sight and the bayou within smelling distance.

​Of Montreal’s album ‘White is Relic/Irrealis Mood’ is a failed experiment

Released earlier this month, “White is Relic/Irrealis Mood,” is of Montreal’s 15th studio album, and while it certainly isn’t stale, it isn’t exactly good.

Yue Nakayama: 2017-2016-2015, at the Matchbox Gallery

A visitor looks on at the work of Houston-based video and performance artist Yue Nakayama during her Sunday opening at Matchbox Gallery.

South by Southwest 2018: Music, film, and more

Best and worst of, music reviews, film reviews, and student perspectives

​‘Love, Simon’ imagines coming out as a universal experience

Where Aptaker and Berger really knock it out of the ballpark is with their ability to portray the growing pains of finding one’s identity as a young person. 

​‘Thoroughbreds’ follows in the footsteps of twisted cult classic

Finley's screenplay uses a backdrop of high society and restless adolescence to ask if emotional attachment has value in a cold, calculating world.

“Not All the Beautiful Things” builds on What So Not’s sound

The album makes What So Not’s work more accessible to “beginner audiences” and cements the Australian producer’s place in electronic music.

Hunting for happy hours

Missing out on the enormous array of cocktail bars, ice houses and dives that make up Houston’s bar scene would be a real shame, and for those willing to hunt, a number of excellent bars nearby offer happy hours cheap enough to stay within your beer money budget.